The Iola register., 1887-12-23

al Xcast thirty of the constitutional
FREQ bOalylers at the Leathcrwood
house. '.Nnyver see any man thcss
go lack he has EN- all my life. He
don't k-yur how tl.cngs so! No. sir!
Nut a copper! He haint paid no ten
tion to the plaist for plum week. so
he haint. Tcarun roun h-yur lack a
a New-founlun pup. by gum! more'n
lack man tendun to his right BUSH
ness Less go up and see what the
destination they're at, anyhow"
Getting upstairs through q stray
Cling crowd that was both going mp
and coming down, we found both doors
open and the two rooms filed with a
crowd of iostling fellows getting
dressed hurriedly in aqucer loose black
half-sailor dress. Heaps of these uni
forms were upon the beds. from which
this and that article were being jsrketl
this way and that in a scramble to get
garments to fit, and have them on as
soon rs possible. The rattIe of clang-
ing steel could be heard, too. rs broad
belts were being fastened round the
black-jacketed crew. Short swords,
daggers, pistols and carbines were
flourishing this way and that. in little
half-circles of confusion. in the indi-
vidual and separate effort of each pair
of hands to dress and arm without re-
gard to any other. In the mi,lst of
these. rushing from man to man or
group to group, growing out direc-
tiOns. questions and replies. was Bogus
LeatherwOod, his face irradiated with
wild. fierce gleam of irrepressible, un-
accountable delight.
Never before nor since have l had
such u shock rs this transformation
scene with the towering and gigantic
form of Bogus Leatherwood. its GEN.
trail and oversha,lowing figure, and the
hurrying. muttering or silent maskers
about him. all whirling in tangled
maze that made me reel even in the eff
fort to single out any thing or any
body.
But all the hurry and the romantic
str'angeness of this wild night-sccne.
with the uncurtaincd windows of the
upper rooms ablaze with the contin-
uous glare of the lightning and the
mass of my familiar everyday ac-
quaintances, transformed by curious
and warlike garb of some other coun-
try or time, into strangers--all this
could not prevent me from Noticing
that the bedrooms were almost bare.
The rich old curtains of heavy DAM
ask that had been the envy of Sand
town, the heavy mirrors, the mahog-
any dressing-case and bureau that l
had seen in Polly's room-in short.
the whole movable and valuable fur
nishing was gone! The great wooden
chest remained. But it, too. had been
shifted from its place and stood di-
agonally across the southeast corner
of the room, and hence in front of the
two small windows so oddly cut down
to the floor and having hinged sashes
for opening. The room looked large
and strangc-almost unrccognizabie.
rs if it, too. had put on the saltwater
garb of Bogus Leatherwood and his
companions. l had a strong desire to
take peep into the great chest. but
the music striking up with unusual
vivacity from the dining-room. Buck
seized me by the arm and almost
dragged me down the narrow stairway
and into the presence of the company.
There was a compact oval ring of
men and women pressed together about
the open center of the room, in which
space Bogus Lcathcrwoods huge fi--
urc, looking taller by reason of the
hiSh-pointed black hat and straight
black feathers, and looking slcndcrcr
by reason of the tiShtly-beltcd black
velvet dOublct, and the CATERS and close.
ly buttoned black lcggins that revealed
the strong and not unshapcly neither
limbs in :he pace and twirl of some
outlandish sword dance. in which the
broad bright short blades flashing and